The Trump movement's most revealing and characteristic moments – not its most crucial, nor cruelest, nor most hazardous, nor stupidest, but potentially its most enlightening – emerged earlier this harvest season. Over the span of several weeks, the US president commenced revealing all observers his plans for a lavish reception room double the dimensions than the White House and then commenced independently demolishing the eastern section to erect it.
He has done things 10,000 times as bad – the current estimate of deaths resulting from his reductions to international aid stands at 600,000 and increasing, and this week research projected his petroleum strategies would result in fatalities 1.3 million more. But nothing as definitional. No previous president would have attempted – genuinely, no other president would have conceived – independently wrecking large sections of the executive mansion to build a Versailles-style party room, with the enthusiastic participation of some of America's wealthiest, the majority of whom conduct transactions with the government.
We went from 'the meek shall inherit the world' toward 'the meek shall die to cholera'
As confusing as it is to witness the chief executive try to upend the traditional concept of democracy and replace it with its direct contrary, there exists a significant segment of Americans who wouldn't consider it entirely new. This includes individuals like us – within elder demographics almost a majority – who were raised within mainstream Protestant traditions.
We have watched over the years as rightwing evangelical churches turned the Jesus we were raised with into the total contrary of who we understood him to be. At its most basic, they converted a persona of love into an icon of hate who blesses precisely the cruelties that he condemned in biblical teachings; this has happened more gradually, over decades as opposed to months, however it is still disconcerting through similar means, a disorienting gut punch for numerous individuals.
A Toxic Christianity Gains Ground
Hence I shall explain the Christ that I grew up with, since in theory Jesus is the center within Christian belief, and since the fastest-growing cadre of Americans may possess limited understanding regarding him since they are skeptics or uncertain individuals or spiritual independents. I have no problem with these various perspectives, nor with different religions; yet I maintain that exist valuable insights of substantial value in the Christian story.
It is decidedly not the narrative of a mighty king arising; instead, an infant arrives to displaced parents in an automotive shelter, who are forced to hastily depart to another nation to avoid covert authorities. The child matures in humble circumstances, an employed craftsman; his doctrine concerns compassion for fellow humans, specifically for the disadvantaged – not simply tender feelings, but practical compassion, expressed by feeding and sheltering. Christ's response to hostility is to present the other cheek – not as an act of passive acceptance, but as a means to teach the attacker; his approach to wrongdoing states that when an individual takes your coat you must offer him your sweater too.
The obvious and clear truth that Christ from scripture advocates for a form of profound affection focused on the poor has consistently rendered the Christian faith somewhat of a provocative belief system: attractive to the populace, but because of its inherent radicalness requiring to be restrained. During the 1950s it was contained through watering down – Protestant Christianity was so dominant that it essentially baptized the status quo.
A Battle for the Highest Among Us
So I have been inspired to see the steadfast resistance to Trump develop over the last twelve months. It has been significant comfort to participate in developing the campaign that has demonstrated publicly through repeated demonstrations, and seems to have inspired electorate to show up in significant amounts in the off-year elections. We must have to continue it, and in the same spirit, featuring US banners during all protests and requests to the finest aspects within national heritage.
We will be questioned ... about how you treated the immigrant? Did you welcome them and welcome him or not?
The country is optimally secured, essentially, by relationship to the finest about American history, exactly as the Christian faith is best defended through connection to elements that cause it to be unique and beautiful, particularly the pattern of the Savior. In neither case does it suggest acting as if the most negative about the nation and Christian faith did not happen; it signifies both modesty and faith, a combination that genuine national faithful should be comfortable with.
